Method and apparatus to throttle connections to a H.323 multipoint controller by receiver terminals in a loosely-coupled conference

Abstract

The present invention is a method of throttling connections to a multipoint controller in a loosely-coupled conference. The loosely-coupled conference includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address. The method includes the steps of receiving a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address, determining whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the panel, and connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive media streams on the multicast address if sufficient resources are available.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a loosely-coupled conference that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address, a method of throttling connections to the multipoint controller, comprising the steps of: a) receiving a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address;   b) determining whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the panel; and   c) connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address if the sufficient resources are available.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the receiving a plurality of callable addresses from a plurality of receiver terminals who want to join the H.323 panel to transmit the media streams. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of d) causing the receiver terminal to leave the H.323 panel and simultaneously receive the media streams on the multicast address when the sufficient resources are not available. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 wherein step c) includes the step of connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive audio and alternatively video streams between the one or more H.323 terminals. 
     
     
       5. In a system that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address, the multipoint controller comprising: a first circuit to receive a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address;   a second circuit to determine whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel; and   a third circuit to allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive the media streams between the one or more H.323 terminals if the sufficient resources are available.   
     
     
       6. The multipoint controller of claim 5 further comprising a fourth circuit to cause the receiver terminal to leave the H.323 panel and simultaneously receive the media streams of the one or more H.323 terminals. 
     
     
       7. The multipoint controller of claim 5 wherein the media streams includes an audio stream and alternatively a video stream. 
     
     
       8. In a system that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address, the multipoint controller comprising: a processor; and   a memory coupled to said processor, said memory to contain instructions to be executed by said processor to (i) receive a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address, (ii) determine whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel, and (iii) allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address for establishing bi-directional communication with the one or more H.323 terminals if the sufficient resources are available.   
     
     
       9. The multipoint controller of claim 8 wherein the memory is to further contain instructions to cause the receiver terminal to leave the H.323 panel and simultaneously receive the media streams of the one or more H.323 terminals when the sufficient resources are not available. 
     
     
       10. The multipoint controller of claim 8 wherein the memory is to further contain instructions to cause the multipoint controller to receive a plurality of callable addresses of a plurality of receiver terminals and allow the plurality of receiver terminals to join the H.323 panel if the sufficient resources are available. 
     
     
       11. The multipoint controller of claim 8 wherein the media streams includes an audio stream and alternatively a video stream. 
     
     
       12. In a loosely-coupled conference that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller with a multipoint address and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address, a method of throttling connections to the multipoint controller, comprising the steps of: a) transmitting the multipoint address on the multicast address if the multipoint controller has sufficient resources to allow a receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel;   b) connecting to the receiver terminal when the same uses the multipoint address to connect to the multipoint controller and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel to transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address; and   c) preventing the multipoint address to be transmitted on the multicast address if the multipoint controller does not have the sufficient resources to allow more receiver terminals to join the H.323 panel.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of: d) removing the receiver terminal from the H.323 panel and terminating its ability to transmit the media streams on the multicast address if the sufficient resources are not available.   
     
     
       14. In a loosely-coupled conference that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller unit ("MCU") to transmit media streams on a multicast address and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the MCU to each transmit and receive the media streams to the MCU, a method of throttling connections to the MCU, comprising the steps of: a) receiving a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address;   b) determining whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel; and   c) connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address if the sufficient resources are available.   
     
     
       15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of receiving a plurality of callable addresses from a plurality of receiver terminals who want to join the H.323 panel. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of d) causing the receiver terminal to leave the H.323 panel and simultaneously receive the media streams on the multicast address when the sufficient resources are not available. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 14 wherein step c) includes the step of connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive audio and alternatively video streams between the one or more H.323 terminals. 
     
     
       18. In a loosely-coupled conference that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller unit ("MCU") to transmit media streams on a multicast address and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the MCU to each transmit and receive the media streams to the MCU, a MCU comprising: a processor; and   a memory coupled to said processor, said memory to contain instructions to be executed by said processor to (i) receive a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address, (ii) determine whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel, and (iii) allow the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address for establishing bi-directional communication with the one or more H.323 terminals if the sufficient resources are available.   
     
     
       19. The MCU of claim 18 wherein the memory is to further contain instructions to cause the receiver terminal to leave the H.323 panel when the sufficient resources are not available. 
     
     
       20. In a loosely-coupled conference that includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller unit ("MCU") with a multipoint address to transmit media streams on a multicast address and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the MCU to each transmit and receive the media streams to the MCU, a method of throttling connections to the MCU, comprising the steps of: a) transmitting the multipoint address on the multicast address if the MCU has sufficient resources to allow a receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel;   b) connecting to the receiver terminal when the same uses the multipoint address to connect the MCU and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel to transmit and receive the media streams on the multicast address; and   c) preventing the multipoint address to be transmitted on the multicast address if the MCU does not have the sufficient resources to allow more receiver terminals to join the H.323 panel.